If you’re anything like me, your daily schedule can fill up fast. During busy times, seeking out opportunities for lighthearted fun is often not a top priority. The mistake in this approach is forgetting that ‘fun is the fuel’ that helps us balance full lives.
When we inject more fun in our day, what seemed challenging and impossible, has a way of coming together. What felt like a push, doesn’t feel quite as hard or heavy because a playful mindset helps us put life in perspective. Being playful is a way of being we can dance with every day — all day.
Here are a few playful practices I use to enjoy more play and lightheartedness in my day. Try them out and see for yourself how easy it is to experience more joy and ease in all the moments in your day.
Playful Practice #1: Less Doing More Being
Instead of getting swept up in the abyss of endless doing, see what happens when you put your attention on being. Focus on your breath, wiggle your toes, feel your heart beating, and do what you can to wake up and connect to your body.
When we approach what is before us present and awake, the pace is noticeably lighter. When we are connected to our being, we don’t get lost in the tangled web of thoughts, stories and worries that can suck the joy out of the happiest of moments.
The best part about using the power of our being, is that ‘the doing’ becomes easier because we stop trying so hard. When we are being, we are open to see the big picture and can easily add more fun and playtime. When we are in our being, we lead life with a glad heart
Playful Practice #2: Spice up Mundane Tasks
If you dread having to do a particular task, yet it is something you still must do, see what happens when you add an element of play and fun while you do it. I like to put on music while I am washing dishes, doing paperwork, or cleaning. Before I know it, what initially felt monotonous, often becomes the very best part of my day because of how I felt while I was doing it.
It’s never about what we are doing, it’s always about how we are feeling and whether or not we are enjoying the moments before us.
Playful Practice #3: Take Regular Mind Breaks
Give your thinker a rest already. This is what I like to tell myself when I get caught up in believing the story that something is hard or not fun.
A trick I like to use, is to walk away and take a break from a task when I feel myself becoming overwhelmed or focused on how hard it all seems. I then go do something that brings me joy. This usually involves turning on the music, having a little dance party or enjoying fun with my kids. Then I go back to what felt hard — and like magic, what seemed hard looks and feels completely different. Before I know it the task is complete and I am ready for even more fun.
When things feel hard, taking a break doesn’t wreck the flow and momentum. Instead, it helps to create momentum in a new direction — one that feels smoother and way more fun.
Now the only question is: what kind of fun are you going to fill your day with?
❤ Emily
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Originally published at wellthyliving.ca on June 3, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com